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Getting a client out of YellowPages ad help??

by PhilaPM
10 replies
Hey everyone I'm meeting with a friend/potential client tonight to discuss website design and some monthly SEO. The problem is he recently signed up with yellowbook for an ad in the yellowpages and one of their cheap websites. Its going to cost him $210/month but he hasn't paid anything yet, and the book hasn't been printed yet. He tried to call and cancel but was told he couldn't because the layout for the yellow pages book was already completed.

Does anyone know of a way he can get out of this contract? He says its for a year and I hate to see him wasting his money.

Thanks,
Patrick
#client #yellowpages
  • Profile picture of the author PhilaPM
    Nobody has experience with this?
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr. Subtle
    If the book is closed your friend is SOL.

    He can stop paying the bill, but YB will cancel the phone number linked to the ad. (That's why I've always had a different number for every YP ad in every book I've ever run.)
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  • Profile picture of the author Warrior Ben
    Patrick,

    I would recommend selling him a mobile website linked to a QR Code. He can then place the QR Code in the Yellowpages ad (assuming he can still submit changes). It will be a pretty easy sell because it will allow him to turn his "static print ad into an interactive piece of media."

    It sounds like you are running up against time, so I would move on this very quickly.

    -Ben
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  • Profile picture of the author PhilaPM
    Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm meeting with him in a couple hours and I'll see what he wants to do. When you say they will cancel the phone number in the ad his physical business phone number isn't disconnected right? You're just talking about him not getting any calls from that ad?

    Is there any cancellation notice in the contract you know of?

    Patrick
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  • Profile picture of the author jasonx2
    Originally Posted by PhilaPM View Post

    Hey everyone I'm meeting with a friend/potential client tonight to discuss website design and some monthly SEO. The problem is he recently signed up with yellowbook for an ad in the yellowpages and one of their cheap websites. Its going to cost him $210/month but he hasn't paid anything yet, and the book hasn't been printed yet. He tried to call and cancel but was told he couldn't because the layout for the yellow pages book was already completed.

    Does anyone know of a way he can get out of this contract? He says its for a year and I hate to see him wasting his money.

    Thanks,
    Patrick
    I notice you say "cheap" website! $210/mo is not cheap in my opinion!
    I have a friend of a friend that I did some Yellowbook site tweeking for. Here is how I did it with him......
    He was told their web guy quit.

    I said "well, your web guy quit, lets open the sucker up and take a look at what I can do for you" once inside I found many misspellings of words, even the town he services. Went in and made some changes, helped him claim his places listing and in 2 weeks he went form nowhere to the second listing for several of the top searches for his local niche. Obviously it had much to do with the misspelled town name. Since March, the hour I have spent with this guy has landed me several SEO gigs alone at a min charge of $250. This guy is better than a billboard as he tells everyone I am a local guy and do a better job than a huge company like Supermedia.!
    Lemons to lemonaid my friend!
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    • Profile picture of the author Jagged
      [QUOTE=jasonx2;4732745]He was told their web guy quit.

      I said "well, your web guy quit, lets open the sucker up and take a look at what I can do for you" QUOTE]


      Who's web guy quit? His yellowbook rep? Yellowbook has an army of reps to take his place. They would not just roll over easily and say....well, your "web guy" quit so your on your own...
      In addition...yellowbook does not allow for client access to the backend of the websites...They do this so they can charge the client everytime they want something edited....I do not understand how you gained access...can you explain this to us in more detail?

      ~Ken
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  • Profile picture of the author Jagged
    Originally Posted by PhilaPM View Post

    Does anyone know of a way he can get out of this contract? He says its for a year and I hate to see him wasting his money.
    Contract is the key element here....he signed it, he is now legally obligated to it. The worse part of it is yellowbook will charge him for every little thing he wants done to the site....he has absolutely no control of the website...and worse yet is, technically, it's not his website. Yellowbook controls it 100%...they even place a yellowbook privacy statement on it even though over 80% of the terms of the privacy statement do not apply to his website or business....I've called them out on that many times.

    Sadly, for those business owners who do not do their research first before signing contracts will just wind up wasting their money....

    I suggest Ben's route of a mobile site & QR code for now....

    ~Ken
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    • Profile picture of the author jasonx2
      Originally Posted by Jagged View Post

      Contract The worse part of it is yellowbook will charge him for every little thing he wants done to the site

      ~Ken
      Not true, the user is given a username and password to access and change any content they want. If you want to charge your client, feel free, but YB will not charge for changes unless you contract them to make changes.
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  • Profile picture of the author trevorhickey
    that is a tough one. I bet they have an iron-clad contract saying he can't get out without a penalty. Have him look into it - he may only have to pay 3 mths pmts and then he's out.
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    • Profile picture of the author dericks3
      The other problem is they will report this unpaid bill to the credit agencies.

      If his credit is a concern to him.

      Also they will have a collection agency chasing him for the money.
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